Let's Play Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold! Amphibious Freeloaders Need Not Apply

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold! Amphibious Freeloaders Need Not Apply

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Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

Blaze Dragon posted:

Future-proofing. The moment they make EO3U or EO4U, they'll have the lines already in the game, and therefore they'll have less effort at that time. See, it's genius, not laziness. _{it's absolutely laziness}

I can't tell if that is the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Wait, no. I exist, so it's the smartest.

# ? Mar 14, 2016 23:58

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# ? May 29, 2024 19:17

Kemix: Dec 1, 2013; Because change

drat it Ranger! Bring that hat back to it's rightful owner! But I'll admit, him randomly appearing to steal that hat was kinda funny. I can only imagine the guild picking up a random piece of Artelinde's clothing (Blood stains included) and one of Wilhelm's used casings, selling them to our favorite shop keeper and telling her it's rare and powerful stuff. And of course she pays top Ental for the items.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 00:05

Araxxor: Oct 20, 2012; My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Ragnar Homsar posted:

Yeah, starting with EO3, the games started implementing the ability to override "Monsters have appeared!" with custom messages, such as "You stand before the Heavenbringer!" in EO4.

Atlus is actually SUPER lazy with cleaning those up from game to game--EO2U's battle message file still has, among others:

"Defeated the Abyssal King and Olympia!"

"The indescribable god has awakened!"

"You stand before the Heavenbringer!"

"The ultimate life form bursts forth from its larval body..."

As well as messages from the loving multiplayer functionality from EO3--"A communications error has occurred," among others.

EO3 is pretty much when the stepped up the production values for the games. Like on a technical level, EO3 is a huge step ahead of EO1 and 2.

Incidentally, Atlus' laziness is why we were even able to break into the game data in the first place. :v:

Turns out there were leftover files from EO4 in EOU, so someone did a comparison between the files and was able to break the compression that way.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 01:21

Endorph: Jul 22, 2009

i mean i don't know about errors but the translation of the dialogue seems pretty smooth? i wouldn't really call them awful translations

# ? Mar 15, 2016 02:37

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

There's a few technical errors interspersed throughout the game's dialogue--Dubois has an instance where he just says your guild name on a single line, which has some Japanese characters after it in the script, and there's a bit really late in the game where Marion's dialogue overflows out of the text box, but I'm unaware of any actual translation errors (aside from possibly stuff like "White Forest").

quote:

[Guild Name]とは
You are the members of [Guild Name],
are you not? Yes, as I thought.

That's the bit I was talking about. The Japanese characters just don't show up in the text box.

Rea fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Mar 15, 2016

# ? Mar 15, 2016 02:43

Araxxor: Oct 20, 2012; My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Endorph posted:

i mean i don't know about errors but the translation of the dialogue seems pretty smooth? i wouldn't really call them awful translations

There are a few issues where the original EO2 script was copy and pasted into situations where it no longer fits due to changes made in the remake. Though item descriptions seem to have it really bad, as a lot of them were copy and pasted from Untold and falls under the problem of not being accurate anymore since some of the items got rebalanced. As for the translation itself, it's sloppy on the technical side but I wouldn't call the actual content awful at all. I would say the earlier games had it worse due to even bigger technical issues there.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 02:47

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

Update 27: The End of the Ice Age

...What, no-one's doin' anything fun this mornin'?

We're nearing the end of the Stratum. Let's just go finish it.

All we have left is this one big room.

A massive sliding ice puzzle. Its size makes it seem more complicated than it really is, but I always end up just kind of fumbling around in this place until I find my way out.

NOW is this the right place?

It has wings on it. It seems to match what the messenger described.

Guess I'll just put the offerin' here, then... Now what?

The messenger said to move to somewhere where we can't see the shrine. Let us move, then.

A flash of white happens.

SYSTEM: What in the world just happened? You decide to go back to the shrine to figure out the situation.

...So, uh, here's the thing: I forgot to grab the incense until after I'd finished recording! I'll come back and grab it later.

I don't think I really have to explain why this encounter is very dangerous.

Is there any reason we can't just slide, like, diagonally or something? We could really easily get that treasure by doing that.

Never mess with the laws of nature, Zack.

God, not more of those eye things.

Seriously is there any reason besides "the laws of nature" we can't just step a little carefully and get--

There are unspoken laws of this world that one must not break.

Last extra gathering point of the floor--a Mine point.

Oh no.

How did no-one notice the statue and fishes waiting to ambush us?!

Just wanted to show how much of a difference TEC can make on incoming TEC damage.

Force Breaks like Gae Bolg are really drat useful for blindsides, so long as the user doesn't get killed.

Pa-pow!

Oh great, more of those goo things.

Hm. 'Course the goo's in the way of the eye from here.

Alright, maybe we can just slide to the west from over--

Zachary. I tend to avoid statements like this, but please do not ever take navigational duty again.

Can't say I disagree with you.

Welp. I either fight the Evil Eye or Ariadne Thread out of here.

Eh, how bad can a floating eyeball be?

Evil Eye
HP: 8354, STR: 38, TEC: 30, VIT: 28, AGI: 21, LUC: 34
Skills:

Eye of Madness: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict Paralysis and Panic (with preference to Panic) on one row, with a 70% chance. Has no speed modifier.
Onrush: Uses the legs. Deals 250% melee STR-based Bash damage to one party member. Has an 80% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.

Drops:

Normal: Crystal Lens. 100% chance. Sells for 920 en. 1 needed to make Addle Gas (40% chance to Panic all enemies). 2 needed to make Glare Shield (+31 DEF, +10% Paralysis and Panic resistance). 3 needed to make Hero Orb (+50 TP).
"Resembles a polished crystal ball. It's often a decoration for the wealthy."
Ingredient: Giant Tear. 1 needed to make Monster Fish Panino (Western Food 3; Increases EXP gain from battles by 20%).
"From the giant eye of a monster."

Damage resistances:

100%

150%

50%

125%

50%
Disable resistances:

100%

50%

25%

50%

25%

10%

25%

50%

50%

A peculiar, floating creature who stuns prey with its gaze.

Sovereigns or a high-level Barrier are basically a necessity for taking on Evil Eyes--Eye of Madness has too high a chance and inflicts too-debilitating ailments to be ignored. Onrush will also basically one-shot anyone that isn't under the effects of Front Guard, and even then I'm still slightly worried about it.

Basically, my strategy is just: keep Prevent Order up, and hope Front Guard is enough to mitigate Onrush.

Essentially the same setup I used for Artelinde and Wilhelm.

Giant eyeballs are not terrifying!

Uh--

I said they are not terrifying!

Yes ma'am.

The Giant Eyeball's attacks deal basically the same damage as Artelinde and Wilhelm did with their's.

And our damage is just as bad without our Force Boosts as last time.

I realized retroactively, thanks to a friend, that I'd be getting more out of how I usually use Zack's Force by using something else on turn 1 of Full Charge besides Hurricane. Oh well!

Nice damage coming out from Zack.

We will not be intimidated!

Even with against an enemy that takes 150% Stab damage, Tyler's non-Charge damage is mediocre. He really needs some elemental support.

That cornea is quite sturdy.

Wuh-oh. That's some pretty bad damage for a turn of Force Boost damage.

Didn't see that comin'. Oh well...

Oh crap, that's bad.

Same song and dance as usual.

This is a mistake. I forgot that, without the Order speed modifiers, Rheine's actually pretty slow, meaning I'm about to waste the Medica.

...Why did you do that?

Thought yeh'd be quicker on the Nectar.

Oogh... Shoulda saved that Medica fer myself...

Your job is not yet finished!

That looks impressive, but...

We've only chopped off 50% of the thing's HP. And the Blue Gel is closing in.

I really regret using Gae Bolg on that blindside now.

Now that Stab weakness is starting to show.

I'm getting tired... Please tell me this thing's almost dead...

Welp. One turn between me and an almost-certain game over.

...Is what I thought at the time, and then I realized the Blue Gel can't actually move to us due to the fact that we're not on ice. So I have more time than I thought.

Being safe.

C'mon, I can only bleed out so much...

gently caress. I wasted Perfect Defense.

This'll incur a pretty bad penalty on Delayed Charge's damage--it goes down from 670% to 283%. Still, Cross Charge will at least get its double damage bonus.

...Maybe I should've just been doing this all the time until now.

No more...t' give...

That was all that we needed.

WAY too close there. At least I was able to fix my navigation gently caress-up.

Move move move!

Who...put this tree here...

This was pointless--I need to go up from the center of the left area.

There we go, actual progress.

Aw, come on, seriously?

A lot of work for such a crappy reward.

And we're done with that last room--all that's left is the boss room.

Should we at least document what the "Ice Princess" looks like and the layout of the room?

I don't see why not. Advance!

SYSTEM: The beautiful stillness calms your hearts, but the hall has its share of danger.

SYSTEM: That must be the Ice Princess that Guild Esbat mentioned... the creature that once was human.

...That thing was human?!

Good gods, I can see why Wilhelm asked us t' kill the Overlord!

That creature is...revolting...

...And it has now become even more revolting.

SYSTEM: You grimly realize that it has marked you as its enemy. This monster will brook no argument... If you wish to proceed, the only way is through battle with the fiend!

M-much as I'd like to just fight this thing, I don't think we're really the right people for this...

Town time? It's gettin' late.

We need to determine our party for this battle, as well.

Retreat to town, then!

Some of the last stuff we'll be unlocking from the 3rd Stratum.

Sapphire Claw (+104 ATK) is made from 1 Sapphire Claw. My opinion on it is null.

Fine Choker is made from 1 Red Fin. It's the best collar you can buy in the 3rd Stratum--I'd advise buying one if you're taking a Beast to Scylla.

Addle Gas (40% chance to Panic all enemies) is made from 1 Crystal Lens. It's a crappy chance. Don't use it.

Next time: Scylla (and the end of The enigmatic woodsman because my memory is good).

# ? Mar 15, 2016 08:41

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

Scylla pre-fight overview

Scylla
HP: 23700 (can be lowered to 14220), STR: 39, TEC: 38, VIT: 34, AGI: 31, LUC: 35
Skills:

Cry Soul: Uses the head. Deals 5-8 instances of 400% melee STR-based Cut damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has a 30% speed modifier and 1 base accuracy.
Ice Shave: Uses the legs. Deals 180% ranged TEC-based Ice damage to one row. Has a 70% speed modifier and 130 base accuracy.
Piercing Shell: Uses the legs. Deals 2 instances of 110% melee STR-based Stab damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has a 90% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.
Lullaby: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict Sleep on the entire party, with a 70% chance. Has a 70% speed modifier.
Six Sins: Uses the legs. Attempts to inflict Blind, Paralysis, and Panic (in that order) on one party member, with a 25% chance. Has an 80% speed modifier.
Call Ally: Summons 1-2 Ruin Creepers. Amount depends on when in Scylla's pattern she summons Ruin Creepers.

Drops:

Normal: Ice Queen's Vine. 100% chance. Sells for 3000 en. 1 needed to make Snow White (+87 ATK, normal attacks become Stab+Ice).
"These strands steal heat with their touch. Its dark power turned countless invaders to ice."
Conditional: Lavish Bone (Kill Scylla while she's asleep). 100% chance. Sells for 6700 en. 1 needed to make Bindings (Dark Hunter ultimate armor; +93 DEF, +3 STR, +3 LUC).
"Bone resembling a lance. It breaks upon Scylla's death, unless she's put to sleep."

Damage resistances:

100%

125%

50%

100%
Disable resistances:

50%

25%

50%

25%

10%

25%

25%

AI behavior:

Turn 1: Cry Soul
Turn 2: Ice Shave, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 3: Attack or Piercing Shell
Turn 4: Ice Shave, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 5: Attack or Piercing Shell
Turn 6: Cry Soul
Turn 7: Ice Shave, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 8: Attack or Piercing Shell, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 9: Attack or Piercing Shell, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 10: Attack, Piercing Shell, or Ice Shave, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 11: Lullaby
Turn 12: Cry Soul
Turn 13: Ice Shave, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 14: Six Sins, summons 2 Ruin Creepers at end of turn
Turn 15: Piercing Shell, summons 1 Ruin Creeper at end of turn
Turn 16: Attack, Piercing Shell, or Ice Shave, summons 2 Ruin Creepers at end of turn
Turn 17: Lullaby
Turn 18: Cry Soul
Turn 19 until death: Repeats turns 13-18 actions, except will always summon 2 Ruin Creepers instead of 1

A hauntingly beautiful monster of the Frozen Grounds. Its icy embrace can be alluring...

So, Scylla. Seems like a pain in the rear end on her own? Too bad, you've got to deal with these things too:

Ruin Creeper
HP: 380, STR: 28, TEC: 24, VIT: 29, AGI: 28, LUC: 32
Skills:

Tentacle Creep: Uses the legs. Used on turns where Scylla will use Cry Soul. Attempts to stun and bind the legs of every party member, with a 60% chance. Has no speed modifier.

Damage resistances:

100%

125%

50%

100%
Disable resistances:

100%

50%

75%

50%

75%

50%

75%

A tentacle of Scylla that seeks to protect the body by impeding would-be assailants.

Barrier Creepers are the same as Ruin Creepers, just with FAR more HP (3980 vs. 380) and higher stats.

Scylla is an almost completely predictable fight, and even then, she manages to still be incredibly difficult. In fact, she's pretty universally considered a roadblock--where players and parties that have been getting by on the skin of their teeth meet their end.

Cry Soul might seem like a joke skill until you realize that sleep and leg binds (which she and the Ruin Creepers can inflict) disable evasion, at which point Cry Soul becomes an instant game over. In fact, that fact is actually entirely why Scylla is a very difficult fight--you need to have both a way to deal with Lullaby, either through Sleep resistance or head binds, and a way to kill all the Creepers in the battle before the Cry Soul turn.

Ice Shave is a joke if you have access to a level 5+ Ice Wall, and a really big problem if you don't. 180% TEC damage hurts, and even parties with Beasts will have issues dealing with it. Your best bet at that point is Ice Mists, which will drop the damage to 120%.

Piercing Shell can potentially kill someone, but otherwise it's non-notable.

Six Sins would be threatening if it targeted the entire party like it did in EO2, but it only targets one person here--as long as you have some way to treat ailments (Refresh, Therica Bs) or a way to stop it altogether (Prevent Order, Barrier), it's a free turn from Scylla herself.

So, the big question is: what party is best for Scylla? In not-really-short: a party that can mitigate Ice Shave and take care of the Creepers while still damaging Scylla herself. This does not necessarily mean an AOE-heavy party. The ideal party for Scylla is a mix of party members that excel at single-target damage and excel at AOE skills. Ideally, you'd also throw in a Protector to mitigate Ice Shave and a Troubadour to drastically increase the party's damage.

And now, the guild overview:

Damage dealers:

Zack: Zack's damage is mediocre right now. He can't really build for the Chasers right now, and while Falcon Slash can theoretically help with taking care of the Creepers, its damage is low enough that Zack will spend several turns trying to kill the Creepers while not doing much to Scylla herself.

Freyja: You've already seen a taste of what Freyja can do to bosses when she has Sophie in tow with the Flame Demon fight. It'll be even better against Scylla, since Freyja will have a higher level Ecstasy and potentially some damage-increasing passives. However, like always, Freyja essentially needs Sophie to function; she just can't put down enough binds timely enough for her to deal good damage. For optimal damage, Freyja should be accompanied by both Sophie and Milly--not only will she have easy setup for her skills, but Milly will amplify them to ludicrous levels.

Stardust: Scylla and the Ruin Creepers' Fire weakness means Stardust can deal nice damage, especially with Analysis but the issue is that she'll have to hold back on Compression if there's no other AOE-dealing party members, since leaving Ruin Creepers alive simply isn't an option.

Asriel: Asriel is a pretty decent option for single-target damage, and an okay option for multi-target damage with Flame Grater. His issue is that he's super-susceptible to just being gibbed if Phoebe or Ursa aren't in the party--then again, everyone is susceptible to being gibbed if Phoebe or Ursa aren't in the party.

Jackie: Jackie's a good option for single-target damage and a terrible option for multi-target damage. If there's enough Ruin Creepers that they're reaching into the back row, then I'm probably going to die to Tentacle Creep and Cry Soul before I can kill them.

Colette: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Colette can deal really nice damage if she has Nadia or Sophie backing her up, and is just kind of there without them. Fairy Robe can potentially be used as a panic button for the Cry Soul turn if there's any Creepers left alive.

Tyler: Tyler desperately needs elemental support from either Stardust, Jackie, or Ranger if he wants to meaningfully contribute to the Scylla fight. Delayed + Cross Charge is nice, but it's not enough for him to justify being taken without elemental support. His AOE is lacking, too.

Ranger: Ranger is a very, very, VERY good option for Scylla, ESPECIALLY if Milly's in the party. He can lop off large parts of Scylla's HP very quickly, especially with Accelerate. ...Of course, those statements come with the caveat that if the fight can't be ended quickly, Ranger's going to spend a large portion of the fight basically useless. He's also as fragile as Asriel, essentially.

Defense:

Phoebe: You've already seen what Phoebe can do against a predictable boss pattern with the Esbat fight. She won't save us from a combination of Lullaby/Tentacle Creep, but then again, not much will.

Ursa: Ursa will need some way to buff up her Ice resistance, but otherwise she can do perform pretty acceptably for the Scylla fight. She's less ideal than Phoebe, obviously, but still a decent choice.

Support:

Nadia: If I have the party eat the Apple Matcha Shaved Ice, Blind Arrow can make Scylla guaranteed miss any attacks against non-slept/non-leg-bound targets for a few turns. Summer Rain can also be used as a panic button in case there's any Ruin Creepers left alive before the Cry Soul turn. Like always, Nadia pairs well with Colette for ailment setup. Pairing her up with Sophie is a little inadvisable, but Sophie's most likely just going to focus on binding Scylla, especially if Freyja's in the party.

Realga: Realga's main use is keeping Ursa alive if she gets voted in. Otherwise, she's honestly kind of pointless.

Milly: Milly is a top-tier support due to the ridiculous buffs she can give our damage dealers. Stacking her with Rheine's sub-optimal, but Link Order at least gives Rheine something else to do.

Sophie: Sophie pairs well with a LOT of party members, and disables certainly help with taking a lot of the sting out Scylla's pattern, especially if Ursa is voted in over Phoebe.

Rheine: Link Order II will help Rheine contribute damage to both Scylla and any Ruin Creepers in the fight. Her damage buffs aren't as good as Milly's, obviously, but that's a given. Prevent Order is an option for stopping Lullaby, but it doesn't do much for Tentacle Creep.

Same rules as Flame Demon: 4 votes per person, but each vote must be for one character from each category, plus one extra vote.

Rea fucked around with this message at 09:07 on Mar 15, 2016

# ? Mar 15, 2016 08:42

Omobono: Feb 19, 2013; That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

DPS + extra: Untold MC represent, that is, Tyler and Ranger
Tank: Phoebe
Support: Rheine

# ? Mar 15, 2016 08:59

Shadow Ninja 64: May 21, 2007; "I stood there, wondering why the puck was getting bigger...

and then it hit me."

Stardust, Tyler, Phoebe, Nadia

# ? Mar 15, 2016 09:05

Araxxor: Oct 20, 2012; My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

Ah, good to see that some things never change, such as Scylla still being a massive roadblock like in EO2.

Tyler, Milly, Rheine, and Ursa. :unsmigghh:

# ? Mar 15, 2016 09:05

SC Bracer: Aug 7, 2012; DEMAGLIO!

The thing that amuses me about Scylla is that if you view the model in the enemy codex, it has the most lovingly rendered cow butt.

Dr. Fetus posted:

Tyler, Milly, Rheine, and Ursa.

Also yeahh this is good

# ? Mar 15, 2016 09:40

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

SC Bracer posted:

The thing that amuses me about Scylla is that if you view the model in the enemy codex, it has the most lovingly rendered cow butt.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 09:59

UncertainKitten: Oct 10, 2012

Freyja, Phoebe, Milly, and Sophie

I look forward to more ridiculous ecstasy damage

# ? Mar 15, 2016 10:04

Araxxor: Oct 20, 2012; My disdain for you all knows no bounds.

I find it amusing that they had to give Scylla legs for her 3D model. She didn't have those in EO2 or EO3.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 10:07

Efe: Feb 2, 2016; I make alive things dead and sometimes the other way around.

This is certainly gonna be a fun battle. This was one of several bosses that gave me an undue amount of trouble, but seeing as you've soundly thrashed just about every boss up to this point, this should be pretty cathartic.

Stardust, Phoebe, Sophie, Asriel.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 10:08

Joeaverage: Aug 1, 2014

Is it possible to have other classes use grimoires for the protector elemental wall skills?
Seems like the effect is extremely powerful even at fairly low skill levels.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 10:45

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

Joeaverage posted:

Is it possible to have other classes use grimoires for the protector elemental wall skills?
Seems like the effect is extremely powerful even at fairly low skill levels.

It is indeed possible, and it's pretty much required if you're not bringing a Protector for certain postgame bosses.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 10:49

Logicblade: Aug 13, 2014; Festival with your real* little sister!

Phoebe, Sophie, Freyja and Milly

# ? Mar 15, 2016 14:24

Argent Cinereus: Feb 25, 2013

Freyja, Ursa, Milly, and Sophie

# ? Mar 15, 2016 14:54

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

Milly, Ranger, Stardust, Phoebe.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 15:15

Blueberry Pancakes: Aug 18, 2012; Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!

Ragnar Homsar posted:

Yeah, Scylla is some kind of weird tentacle boar crab woman hybrid. It's horrifying.

Omobono posted:

DPS + extra: Untold MC represent, that is, Tyler and Ranger
Tank: Phoebe
Support: Rheine

# ? Mar 15, 2016 16:17

Scrap Dragon: Oct 6, 2013; SECRET TECHNIQUE:
DARK SHADOW
BLACK FALLEN ANGEL!

Asriel, Jackie, Phoebe, and Milly

# ? Mar 15, 2016 16:35

AweStriker: Oct 6, 2014

Asriel, Phoebe, Rheine, Sophie

# ? Mar 15, 2016 17:51

Level Seven: Feb 14, 2013; Wubba dubba dubba
that blew.; Megamarm

Ranger, Phoebe, Asriel, Milly

# ? Mar 15, 2016 17:55

Kemix: Dec 1, 2013; Because change

Freyja, Asriel, Phoebe, Milly

Let the cheese flow through you

# ? Mar 15, 2016 18:47

W.T. Fits: Apr 21, 2010; Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.

Ranger, Tyler, Phoebe, Milly

# ? Mar 15, 2016 19:11

Gilgamesh255: Aug 15, 2015

Tyler, Ranger, and whoever else will allow you to rip her apart.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 19:31

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

Votes are currently:

quote:

Phoebe: 12
Milly: 10
Tyler: 7
Ranger: 6
Asriel: 5
Sophie: 5
Rheine: 5
Freyja: 4
Ursa: 3
Stardust: 3
My choice: 2
Jackie: 1
Nadia: 1

Anyone not listed has no votes.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 19:44

siotle: Nov 2, 2012; Stop that.

Omobono posted:

DPS + extra: Untold MC represent, that is, Tyler and Ranger
Tank: Phoebe
Support: Rheine

# ? Mar 15, 2016 19:48

RareAcumen: Dec 28, 2012

4 votes for Lper's choice

v :v:

v I don't know.

# ? Mar 15, 2016 20:44

BlackPersona: Oct 21, 2012

Let's have an Untold story, where the Highlander and the Fafnir Knight finally meet in ~~Armoroad~~ The Frozen Grounds, with their love interests of the ~~Princess~~ Sovereign and the ~~Gunner~~ Beast backing them up.

...So basically Ranger, Tyler, Rheine, and Ursa. Ricky was totally a giant bear, right? :v:

# ? Mar 15, 2016 21:50

Arcade Rabbit: Nov 11, 2013

Scylla is kind of a good time to bring up an issue I have with some of the designs in this series. Most of them are really good and genuinely threatening looking, but then you've got poo poo like her. I've seen Final Fantasy bosses that have more design restraint.

Ragnar Homsar posted:

There's spears and tentacles and what looks like a second, cyclopean head hanging over it. What are those things down there anyway? Left and right, the clam shell looking things? nAre those legs? And I assume the red and orange things are meant to be like crab or lobster pincers or something, but they are so tucked in there I really have to wonder what the point even is. Also:

Ragnar Homsar posted:

Apparently Scylla had a run in with Circe at some point :psyduck:

# ? Mar 15, 2016 22:03

Glazius: Jul 22, 2007; Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.; Clapping Larry

I like how this game makes bosses feel like much bigger productions than FOEs by having you fight the entire boss room. And the Force Boost on Guild Esbat was a nice touch too. I'd ask if that feature was limited to human-type bosses and not just all of them from now on, but I don't think I'd like the answer.

# ? Mar 16, 2016 02:18

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

It's as good a time as any to call the Scylla votes. Final results:

quote:

Phoebe: 13
Milly: 10
Tyler: 9
Ranger: 8
Rheine: 7
My choice: 6
Sophie: 5
Asriel: 5
Freyja: 4
Ursa: 4
Stardust: 3
Nadia: 1
Jackie: 1

However! You might notice that I have a whopping 6 votes of my own. As such, I'm using them to shift the party a bit:

Phoebe, Tyler, Ranger, Stardust, Milly.

A sufficiently high-damage party with Phoebe to guarantee nothing goes wrong. This is gonna be fun. :getin:

# ? Mar 16, 2016 02:21

RareAcumen: Dec 28, 2012

Arcade Rabbit posted:

Scylla is kind of a good time to bring up an issue I have with some of the designs in this series. Most of them are really good and genuinely threatening looking, but then you've got poo poo like her. I've seen Final Fantasy bosses that have more design restraint.

There's spears and tentacles and what looks like a second, cyclopean head hanging over it. What are those things down there anyway? Left and right, the clam shell looking things? nAre those legs? And I assume the red and orange things are meant to be like crab or lobster pincers or something, but they are so tucked in there I really have to wonder what the point even is. Also:

Scylla here is like the character that's supposed to have the least restraint in terms of design if they want to get across making the play hate the Overlord.

# ? Mar 16, 2016 03:08

Arcade Rabbit: Nov 11, 2013

Admittedly, I do like the mental image of the Overlord actually designing her and going super overboard. "More tentacles, more! Tentacles with spikes, tentacles with claw shells, tentacles with drill spears! And it all comes from a giant pig butt! Yes, I'm a genius!"

# ? Mar 16, 2016 23:05

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

Update 28: Song of the Siren

CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!

...The hell are you idiots stomping around for at 7 AM? I was still sleeping...

WE FORGOT THE INCENSE IN THE LABYRINTH!

ALL OF YOU MOVE, RIGHT NOW!

So yeah, uh, let's go finish The enigmatic woodsman.

Let it never be said that Ragnar H. Homsar, Medic extraordinaire, has a good--or even barely functional, really--memory.

Thank the spirits, it's still here.

I don't wanna know what that messenger would've done if we lost both the Wind Rock and the incense... Deuuuugh...
SYSTEM: This must be the incense that was asked for in the quest. You place the branch in your bag, taking in the subtle sweet scent.

Got yer incense right here.

...Thank you very much. I've left the reward with Cass, so please go retrieve it. The offering...is quite a rare and valuable item, you know. Sometimes, even our allies might hesitate, and...choose poorly... But, of course, you would not do such a thing. Here, th-this is our thanks...

Might as well have just given us garbage, it's about as useful as the Blind Gas.

Then, please excuse me... Please do not lose that honest heart...

Oh, welcome back. I heard the news--yeh took care of business. But it kinda seems like yeh guys are makin' strange friends these days, eh...?

Believe me, we keep strange enough company already just by associating with Ranger.

Well, birds of a feather, eh? Haw! They're even talkin' about inviting yeh lot into their holy land, from the sounds'a things. Guess they warmed up to yeh quick!

I-I'll pass on that...

Who knows? Maybe they'll brew up some kinda curse to make yeh drop by and see 'em again! Haw haw haw! Oh, but don't get me involved, awright? I dunno what they're really thinkin', and I ain't about to try and find out. Anyway, here's yer reward. Til next time!

Sweet, sweet Amritas.

Incidentally, here's Cass's dialogue if the quest ends with you trying to sell Abigail the Wind Rock:

quote:

Ah, yeh're back! I heard about it, yeh got the offering...and yeh--yeh tried to sell it off? ...Pfffhaww haw haw haw haw! Ahah! Hah! I can't believe this! Yeh got some guts! D'yeh always try to sell other folks' things? ...Eh? No, no, no skin off my nose. Ain't my business how yeh go about getting yer work done! B-But, yeh lot, of all people...mmpff... Th-That's just too drat...funny... Pffhaw haw haw haw haw heh heh hah! Were yeh not able to resist that Abigail's big, watery eyes? What...? That's it!? Well, doesn't matter, since it's all done. Just collect yer reward. H-Here...take it...pfff... Hawww haw haw haw haw haw! A-Ah, my sides! I can't breathe!

I'll skip the level ups because...

Can you people quit pulling me in for these big fights? Ugh.

Maybe if you weren't so good at makin' other people hit harder.

Gods know I can't resist a good fight!

Based on what the others have said... That Ice Princess is either the best makeup job ever, or the greatest affront to life ever.

My new hat should keep my head warm.

Rheine was technically voted in over Stardust, but I had a whopping 6 votes for my own choice, so I swapped in Stardust so I can get a really quick kill on Scylla. Remember how I said she was considered a massive roadblock? Let's just say I'm about to say "gently caress you" to that.

Phoebe's build hasn't changed at all.

I maxed out Spear Assist on Tyler (since TP costs don't matter a ton when you go for quick kills), and put his other 2 points in Phys ATK Up, since I didn't really consider any of the other spear skills worth it.

Ranger maxed out Flame Sabre (+ Fire Wave) and Delayed Chase (+ Blade Recoil), and I dumped his remaining points in Elem ATK Up.

Stardust now has maxed out Inferno Formula and I put her remaining points in Elem ATK Up.

I decided to have Milly invest in Flame Fantasia, since I was going for a quick kill. The Fantasia skills both apply a buff to allies and a debuff to enemies--specifically, a buff that increases all allies' resistance to an element, and more importantly, subtractively reduces all enemies' resistance to an element. Note that this isn't a defense debuff, it's an additive resistance modifier. At level 9 (and 10), a Fantasia reduces all enemies' resistance to an element by 30%--and this stacks fully with normal attack buffs and the Preludes. Elemental damage is seriously strong in EO2U, and you're about to see why.

Everyone's Grimoires. Just increasing levels for whatever I can (and a random Lick Wounds on Phoebe for reasons I can't recall).

...Okay, no, seriously, what is that thing?

Artelinde and Wilhelm said it's a former ally 'a theirs, turned into that thing by th' Overlord of the floating castle.

Good gods, I was semi-joking with the affront to nature statement.

How does she move if she's rooted in the ice like that? Does she pick up the lake and move it with her?

If I wanted, I could just walk right into Scylla from here and start the fight. This is tantamount to suicide, because not only will she be at full HP (loving 23700), but the Barrier Creepers will join in on the fight too.

Instead, we have one final ice block puzzle.

It's fairly simple once you mess with the blocks a little. Just shove the two blocks on your sides thataway...

Then shove one of the side blocks down to the lower area. Note that the Barrier Creepers will follow you slowly...

And will reflect ice blocks like the Blue Gels.

Once you have both ice blocks in the lower areas...

Make a mad dash for the other side...

And shove an ice block into Scylla. This will kill the Barrier Creepers, and lower Scylla's HP by about 10%.

Rinse and repeat 3 times, and it's go time.

We'll t' make this quick!

Everyone deserves eternal rest! Even former allies of people who, admittedly, tried to kill us.

...That's yer battle cry?

:siren:

VIDEO: Boss Fight: Scylla :siren:

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you hit Scylla with at least one ice block, you'll get a preemptive on her.

A quick refresher on her stats:

quote:

Scylla
HP: 23700 (can be lowered to 14220), STR: 39, TEC: 38, VIT: 34, AGI: 31, LUC: 35
Skills:

Cry Soul: Uses the head. Deals 5-8 instances of 400% melee STR-based Cut damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has a 30% speed modifier and 1 base accuracy.

Ice Shave: Uses the legs. Deals 180% ranged TEC-based Ice damage to one row. Has a 70% speed modifier and 130 base accuracy.

Piercing Shell: Uses the legs. Deals 2 instances of 110% melee STR-based Stab damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has a 90% speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.

Lullaby: Uses the head. Attempts to inflict Sleep on the entire party, with a 70% chance. Has a 70% speed modifier.

Six Sins: Uses the legs. Attempts to inflict Blind, Paralysis, and Panic (in that order) on one party member, with a 25% chance. Has an 80% speed modifier.

Call Ally: Summons 1-2 Ruin Creepers. Amount depends on when in Scylla's pattern she summons Ruin Creepers.
Drops:

Normal: Ice Queen's Vine. 100% chance. Sells for 3000 en. 1 needed to make Snow White (+87 ATK, normal attacks become Stab+Ice).
"These strands steal heat with their touch. Its dark power turned countless invaders to ice."

Conditional: Lavish Bone (Kill Scylla while she's asleep). 100% chance. Sells for 6700 en. 1 needed to make Bindings (Dark Hunter ultimate armor; +93 DEF, +3 STR, +3 LUC).
"Bone resembling a lance. It breaks upon Scylla's death, unless she's put to sleep."
Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 125% 50% 100%
Disable resistances:
50% 25% 25% 50% 25% 25%
0% 0% 10%
25% 25% 25%

Phoebe doesn't have anything to do until turn 3.

Tyler's opening action is pretty much always going to be preparing Delayed Charge for any big fight from now on.

I don't want to use Transform until I have basic buffs set up, so I might as well get whatever damage I can out of untransformed Ranger.

BREAKING NEWS: Stardust and Milly still set up fight with Compression and Warrior Song

That eye looks like a good target.

Maybe those cow legs don't slide on ice?

Is, uh... Is that bundle 'a matches supposed to be burnin' that bright?

No. It should be burning brighter. Hm...

There's no need for Phoebe to react to what Scylla's about to do.

Tyler can FINALLY start using Spear Assist again now that Ranger and Stardust are working with him.

Still waiting for buffs before unloading Force.

I meant to cast Flame Fantasia but instead ended up casting Fire Prelude on Stardust instead. WHOOPS.

Yes good. Good good good.

How do you even do that, anyway? At least Stardust over there mashes a bunch of matches together.

I'unno, it just happens.

...The hell was that? She just screamed at us.

How the hell's that supposed to kill us?

Your guess's good as mine.

Cry Soul hurts--400% STR damage per hit--but it's also the single most innacurate attack in the game, with 1 base accuracy. It's possible for classes that are low on both AGI and LUC (Medics and Fafnir, namely) to get hit by it if you're really unlucky, but otherwise it's gonna do nothing but miss--if your evasion isn't disabled, that is.

It's kinda mediocre damage, really, but it's head-and-shoulders above what Long Thrust/Head Pierce were doing.

She's really rooted herself.

Phoebe finally has something to do now--canceling out Ice Shave.

It's Force time. And that means...

Being rooted in that ice must make moving a real pain, huh?

ＨＥＲＥ, ＬＥＭＭＥＨＥＬＰＹＯＵ！

Chaos reigns.

Stardust'll help, too.

NOW you'll get to see Flame Fantasia in action.

Remember: Flame Fantasia directly modifies resistances instead of working as a defense debuff.

Oh yeah, the Ruin Creepers themselves hurt quite a bit too. That's why I recommended that the party have some easy way of taking them out.

Nuh-uh.

ＢＵＲＮＢＵＲＮＢＵＲＮＵＮＴＩＬＴＨＥＲＥ＇ＳＮＯＴＨＩＮＧＬＥＦＴ！

Yessssssssss, look at that damage increase!

With Spear Assist, Warrior Song, and Flame Fantasia, Tyler's damage starts to look pretty good.

Scylla's going to either attack or Piercing Shell this turn, so Front Guard is the obvious choice.

What would a fight with Ranger be without Accelerate? Pointless, that's what.

Ranger's the obvious choice for the last Fire Prelude before Crusade.

C'mon, hurry up. I got things I need to do that don't involve being near that tentacled freak.

ＨＥＨＥＨＥＨ...

Showtime.

The Creepers ate about half the hits. Oh well.

ＷＡＮＮＡＳＥＥＡＭＡＧＩＣＴＲＩＣＫ, ＦＯＬＫＳ？

ＨＥＲＥ＇ＳＯＮＥＩＬＩＫＥＴＯＣＡＬＬ "ＧＥＴＦＵＣＫＥＤ！"

Almost there...

Got a light?

Oh, yeah, right he--

Please don't swing that thing at me, Ranger.

...So much for me saying Scylla's a roadblock. The power of burst strats, I suppose.

Uuuuugh... How did you all put up with sliding on that ice for so many floors...

Eh, yeh get used to-- Wait, where's Ranger?

...Slowly sliding over, face-first on the ice.

Gotta say, the contrast between Ranger 'n whatever just happened there's pretty amazing.

I tripped. I thought we were going the other way, back to town.

...Why?

It's lunchtime.

There's no dialogue from the game this time since we weren't actually on a mission to kill Scylla. Let's see what the 4th Stratum looks like before we return.

So what's this next place supposed to look like? I'm hoping it's not freezing like this was.

If the pattern I've noticed so far continues...

...Okay, I'll admit, this is nice.

Hm... I expected a spring-themed stratum, but didn't think about cherry blossoms.

Do these petals taste sweet?

I, uh, wouldn't try that if I were yeh, Ranger.

'S just like Etria, ha.

We're now at the top of Yggdrasil, and the seasonal cycle's reached its end.

Petal Bridge looked neat in EO2, but was hampered by the DS's bad 3D and awful draw distance. Here, it's been reworked into one of the best-looking strata in the series.

SYSTEM: As you stand in awe at the gently falling petals, a voice rings from the sky.
UNKNOWN: What sort of austerity has the Star's will decreed...?

...Is someone talkin' to us from-- Holy...

SYSTEM: With this, the demihuman spreads his wings and rises into the air. Who and what could the winged organism have been...? Perhaps if you ask at the Grand Duchy, you may learn something about it. You make a note to stop by the Duke's Palace later as you continue on.

What a gorgeous sight!

I can even see the sky through th' trees! How's a place like this come to exist in a giant tree?

Let's take the game's advice and go talk to Dubois about the winged person.

...Right after we talk to everyone.

I heard you're up on a new Stratum! Is it true that the only way to move on is to fly!?

Uh, not really. We just...walked up there.

...Oh. Everyone was saying you sprouted wings and started flying, but I guess that's a little silly.

Going by the fact we could see the sky below us, I'm pretty sure the stratum itself is flying.

Ooh, so it's the island that's floating! How mysterious. I wonder how they keep it up in the air like that. If my inn could float in the sky, I bet we'd get more customers. Not to mention the view would be gorgeous! Oh, but I suppose customers wouldn't...actually...be able to get in. Getting supplies would be difficult too. Well, I guess it was just one of my "flights" of fancy! Eh? Bahahaha!

Oh? What've you learned so far?

I learned cooking, laundry, and, um... ...A-Actually, that's a secret. Nevermind.

I get this rush of relief every time I see all of you. Hee hee... I guess that's kind of strange, isn't it?

Not really.

Oh, I know! The other day, my mom taught me how to bake cookies from scratch. I'll make some for you next time... Um, i-it would mean a lot to me if you'd try them!

If a certain Hexer doesn't get to 'em before we do, sure.

Snow White (+87 ATK, normal attacks become Stab+Ice) is unlocked by selling 1 Ice Queen's Vine. It'll get outclassed really quickly by bows in the 4th Stratum, so welp.

Almighty Ring (+2 to all stats) is unlocked by selling 1 Frozen Stone (a conditional from an enemy I killed off screen). It's kinda useful for War Magi and Medics, but its problem is it's super expensive--13700en!

They are, but they don't taste like anything.

Yeh seriously tried it after I told yeh not to?

Hmm. Maybe not raw, but if I could candy it or pickle it...? I wonder if I can prepare it without it losing its color... Hey, could you hurry and go back to the Labyrinth? There might be some new ingredients to find there. I'm anxious to start on some new recipes.

We'll get to it when we get to it.

...Augh, the anticipation's killing me!

More like Ranger burned the thing down while we helped, but yeah, sure.

The first time yeh showed up in my bar, I thought yeh were a hopeless bunch, but... Heh, I've been an Explorer myself for a while, but I guess I'm losing my touch. Haw haw haw!

Finally, some more bar patrons.

Marmott:

Oh, welcome, Lumen. Listen... Tramonte collapsed again, and she isn't moving an inch.

What was she pursuing this time?

This time, she wanted to get Dense Syrup, so she's been looking for Waspiors nonstop. Thanks to that, she's passed out at the inn. ...Lilly really needs to lay off on these. Sure, she's an idiot, but she's an important member of the guild. We need our meat shield.

'S an interestin' way to talk about your Protector.

How do you get that Dense Syrup stuff, anyway?

Hmm? You want some Dense Syrup too? Well, I heard all you gotta do is defeat a Waspior while it's scared. If you do, rigor mortis stiffens up the organ that makes the syrup. Apparently, that makes it really delicious. Anyhow. I should probably go to the inn to check up on Tramonte, that bonehead...

Dense Syrup is a really important conditional, since it's needed to make Amritas. That condition makes it a serious dick move, since the only non-Grimoire method the Story party has of inflicting Fear is Random Disease.

Sloshed drunkard:

D'ya know about Lumen!? They're some fancy new guild, but they're climbin' Yggdrasil like pros already! Some folks say, right, they even got to the fourth Stratum. Even--*hic*--them Esbat people couldn't get that high!

I think we're past th' point of bein' "new."

...Huh? Whuh, you're Lumen!? ...Pfffhaha, don' tease people like that! Why din'cha say so before? Now, c'mon! Let's drink, drink, drink! Cheers, to the great Lumen!

That legend of explorers who delve too deep being taken to the floating castle... Perhaps it's not just an old myth after all. What could be behind this castle in the sky...? I wish I could ask you to find the truth for us...

We'll reach the floating castle and learn the truth of this. Trust us.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Try to avoid any unnecessary risks.

This is a scene, by the way, not Talk dialogue.

We, uh... We saw somethin' weird in the 4th Stratum. Some kinda winged human.

What's this, now...? You have met with a winged human? Hrm... Pardon me for a moment, please. I will go call for Lady Gradriel.

Tyler just said that, yeah.

I have read of their kind in the ancient documents that have been passed down the royal family. �The Ruler of the Heavens created an inhuman race, able to fly freely in the sky. These winged beings are human, yet not quite human. They safeguard the entrance to the Heavenly Keep. Only with this phrase can one gain entry."

Give it to us.

"State these words: As agreed, I speak the words of the Overlord by the ancient pact. Lead our return to the heavens!"

That's not ominous at all.

The precise meaning eludes me, but that is what I remember of the winged ones. If the document speaks true, you must parley with the winged ones and ask their assistance. Of course, this is nothing but conjecture. If you intend to investigate...then please, exercise caution.

O-of course, Lady Gradriel.

'S cryptic, but I'm sure it'll come up soon.

Personally, I would like you to find information on the floating castle, for the Duke. I am expecting great things from you. Good luck.

NOW here's Dubois's Talk dialogue.

You... You literally just said it. ...It's Lumen.

Ah yes... it was Lumen, was it not? I've heard that you have reached the new stratum. Very good news indeed. How could an island float like that? How might our ancestors have lived...? If islands can float like that, then surely a castle can float, too. It looks as though the legends could be true...

Scylla was all the proof I needed for th' Overlord existing.

Please proceed without hesitating. I am certain you will be able to find the floating castle. I look forward to your safe return.

A whole lotta quests for 16F. For once, I'll hold off on the Ginnungagap quest...because I still have A culinary crusade taking up space. That'll get finished soon, trust me.

Passing down the skills:

Oh, that one. Yeh remember the girl who wanted revenge for her fiance, yeah?

We just got that elephant bow fer her a few floors ago.

That one's from her, as well. Maybe folks are just getting inspired from hearin' bout yer adventures, but there's been a lot of new explorers lately... That'd be fine, except a bunch of monsters are sneakin' down from the higher floors, and picking off the newbies. And seems like those monsters are the same kind as the fishy bastard that went after the lass's fiance.

Well, that's gotta be a sore spot.

Of course, that lass isn't just going to stand by and watch. She joined up with a team out to exterminate the lot of 'em. But seems these fishy beasties answer to some powerful monster. It nearly wiped out her team, and called up even more beasts. Since they can't handle the lot of 'em alone, they want yeh to kill the boss. That's what she's askin' for here.

Kill a bunch of fish. Got it.

The horde's on the 11th floor. Hate to tell yeh, but there's no way to tell where the boss is from here... But, it's not their leader for nothin'. If yeh keep killin' its minions, then eventually the boss has gotta show itself. The extermination team's headed to the 11th floor, and they're settin' up a first aid camp around here.

If things get rough, just head over here. They'll be able to heal yeh, at least. Things might get a little dangerous on this one, but she's countin' on yeh, so do yer best!

Passing down the skills is honestly a super-tedious quest, so I'll be putting it off.

Law and order:

Hey, I've been waitin' fer yeh! Finally got a lead on that thieving bastard from the cave. That fraud pretended to be a foreign adventurer and acted just like one of the guys 'round here. Yeh remember?

I wish I could forget.

So I had someone look into it, and the scumbag's wanted in four different countries. He's no small-time crook... But listen here. That outlaw's been sighted skulkin' around on the 1st floor, and he's keepin' his head down. Don't know what he's up to, but now's yer chance. He should still be on the 1st floor... It's payback time.

Law and order'll start once we enter 1F.

A clever ruse:

Oh, that request! That's been on my mind, too. Go ahead, take it! The requester's an explorer. He was walkin' through the 4th floor, but he tripped and faceplanted into the bushes... But he says there was a whole other room on the other side of the bushes! And there was even a treasure chest! Sounds like a lucky klutz, right? That's what I figured, but then it gets weird.

Can't be weirder 'n anything we've seen so far.

Of course, he went straight for the loot. But then, the fella says, everything just suddenly went dark. Started gettin' shootin' pains all over, too. He panicked, and stumbled back until he got himself somewhere safer. Not much to go on, but he says that's all he remembers... So, he wants to send someone out to take a look and figure out what's goin' on. So the place I need yeh to visit is this spot he found, on the 4th floor!

Heck, I'd go after it if it wasn't in the forest... but I'll let yeh handle this one. G'luck!

Fun fact: this was originally supposed to be a DLC quest, going by the game's internals. Guess Atlus thought they already had too many of those.

An outing in the forest:

Oh, that request. Yeh lot know the innkeeper's daughter, right?

She's the one with the pink hair and the cloth arm shields with belts.

This'll be easy, then. So, the little missy at the inn has what yeh'd call a weak constitution. Somethin' like... she can't breathe too well sometimes. Well, it ain't too bad just livin' here, but every now and again we like to get her into the Forest for some fresh air. Normally, the Palace would send escorts for her, since they're good about it...but they can't spare anyone right now. So, yeh're gonna play escort for the little missy. That's all.

...That's it?

Head to the small room in the middle of the 14th floor. The little missy should be waitin' for yeh at the inn, so get goin'. Alright, g'luck!

And now our quest list is full. Let's fix that by taking care of Law and order.

...Right after Dubois talks to us.

Yep. One of the few times he hasn't rambled at us.

We've no idea what that scoundrel is scheming, but if that flute allows him to control monsters, the city is in grave peril. So, I have taken it upon myself to lead the town's defense. I will give my utmost to protect this town, in the name of the Duke.

By hitting them with your cane? ...Actually, I guess that's what Realga does.

Hm? Appearances can deceive, my friend. In times past, I led High Lagaard's forces, and was renowned for my military prowess. While we protect the town, you are to subdue this blackguard with all due haste, and put an end to his villainy. Now then. I wish you good luck.

And after Quona talks to us when we enter the inn.

Cass said yeh weren't doin' too well. How're yeh feelin' right now?

Huh...? Yeah... I'm really fine.

Yep. Guild Lumen, escorts for hire.

Hehe... I'm glad. Thank you. Uhm... Are people in Lumen strong? You don't lose to monsters?

We've had a few...brushes with death, but otherwise we haven't lost yet.

Wow, th-that's amazing... I'm relieved... I'm happy to... go with you, but I don't want anyone of Lumen to get hurt... I...I'll stay in the back, so I don't get in your way. Ah, but...can we leave...right away? If you have...other things to do, I don't mind going later...

We need to cook apple sauce steak for a quest. We'll be back later.

Well, not apple sauce steak specifically, but yes, we haven't helped Regina for a while.

Okay, um...see you soon.

...Wait a minute, we can't be cookin' right now, the thief's still lurkin' in the first floor!

Oh, yeah, huh.

Well, aren't you non-plussed.

That guy's small-fry. Kinda surprised you guys fell for his setup.

And yeh know it was weak how?

I'm pleading silence on that one.

Next time: the boss party finishes Law and order, does some cooking, and...that's it, really.

Rea fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Jun 13, 2016

# ? Mar 17, 2016 11:20

Rea: Apr 5, 2011; Komi-san won.

4th Stratum Party Votes

The results of this vote won't matter for one update, but might as well get it started now and call it after I post the next update.

The random encounters in the 4th Stratum are a serious step up from what we've been seeing so far. Primarily, there's enemies that will try to screw us using status ailments, as well as tanky enemies that just straight-up hit hard.

Zack: Zack's kind of peaked in terms of his skills' usefulness for now. Hurricane is still his best option for damage, but it's still somewhat weak compared to everyone else. Falcon Slash will help with encounters against low-HP trash mobs, but those are less important in the 4th Stratum.

Nadia: Nadia's quick enough that she can usually blind or paralyze high-priority monsters in more threatening encounters, and evasive enough to dodge stray attacks. However, if she doesn't dodge them, she's most likely going to get gibbed, and she's as susceptible as most everyone else to being hit with disables

Phoebe: Lots of row or party-target physical damage starts getting thrown around here, which Front Guard helps a lot with. Unfortunately, if Phoebe gets hit with an ailment like Panic, I'm going to be in serious trouble.

Freyja: Like Nadia, Freyja's fast enough to try and disable certain painful monsters, and she has a decent chance of doing so. Her downside is she has no easy way of clearing out mobs, same as always.

Realga: Not to spoil much, but damage tiles make a vengeful return in the 4th Stratum, and Realga can negate them as well as she did in the 2nd Stratum. She's also at the point where she basically won't run out of TP unless the party is constantly dying and/or needing to be healed. Medical Miracle is also a potential way out of what would otherwise be certain death.

Stardust: A considerable amount of 4th Stratum enemies are weak to Volt, meaning Stardust will get a lot of mileage out of Volt Formula. Her high LUC also means she's less susceptible to being disabled than certain other party members--her terrible HP and VIT, however, mean she's incredibly susceptible to dying without proper defensive support.

Milly: Warrior Song will help a lot of encounters go by much more quickly, and that's...about the extent of Phoebe's likely contribution to most fights.

Asriel: Asriel is slowly but surely rising in power, although his overall usefulness is about the same as we last saw him--decent single-target damage, and can do AOE with a little setup.

Sophie: In my opinion, the best way to deal with heavy disables is to throw disables right back at the enemy! Sophie's ailments will neutralize a lot of threatening encounters, even if some certain enemies that I despise are annoyingly tough to disable.

Jackie: Jackie...is an option. She doesn't contribute anything that special, really. She's pretty slow and around middle-of-the-pack in terms of getting hit with disables.

Colette: Colette can function without ailment setup, as you saw in the latter part of the 3rd Stratum, and can heal out of battle, although nowhere near as efficiently as Realga.

Ursa: Ursa will be taking a lot of abuse if she's brought along, but the important part is she'll keep everyone safe, especially if Realga's in the party--if those two are together, it's unlikely anyone else will ever see any significant damage come to them.

Rheine: Rheine contributes what is basically chip healing through the Order Mastery bonus, and Link Order II helps with random encounters if Stardust, Jackie, or Ranger are in the party. Otherwise, she's about as effective as Milly.

Tyler: If you want to get a picture of how effective Tyler will be, just judge him based on his performance in the latter part of the 3rd Stratum and in Scylla. He's not optimal, per se, but he's plenty usable, especially with elemental support.

Ranger: Ranger can function as elemental support for Rheine and Tyler, but he's a dangerous combination of bad traits for the 4th Stratum: slow, essentially no AOE, fragile, and susceptible to being hit with disables.

4 votes per person, no restrictions.

# ? Mar 17, 2016 11:21

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# ? May 29, 2024 19:17

BlackPersona: Oct 21, 2012

We haven't seen Freyja and Sophie in a while, so those two along with Ursa and Realga

# ? Mar 17, 2016 11:45

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